I need you to Understand
by Tears of Jade
Summary: Raven has a nightmare and needs comfort. Who will help her and finally understand?


I'm very proud of this story, but I still think there are some things I could improve. I love the Raven/Beastboy pairing and I wish they hadn't cancelled the show, because they were finally starting to connect. Ah well. Give me your input on what I could improve, but most of all, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or the song "All I Ask of You" from The Phantom of the Opera

**I need you to understand**

* * *

The night air was almost hot, but by the water in front of Titans tower, Beastboy and Raven sat in perfect comfort. Raven leaned over and put her head on Beastboy's shoulder as she declared softly,

"I love you."

As the moonlight reflected off the water and softly illuminated the two teens, Terra suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She immediately grabbed Beastboy's arm and began to drag him away from Raven.

"Keep your filthy, tainted hands off of **my** Beastboy. He doesn't love you, he loves me!"

Raven looked on in horror as Beastboy simply shrugged,

"She's got a point, Raven. You are a demon. Sorry, but I love Terra. She's pure and normal, not evil."

The violet-haired teen heard her father's voice echoing in her ears,

"You can never be loved. You aren't like them." Trigon chuckled maliciously, "You're too much like me, Raven, for them to ever look at you as anything but evil demon-spawn."

"No," Raven declared softly, her voice rising in pitch and volume with every syllable. "You're lying." She screamed at the top of her voice, "I'm not evil!"

Raven suddenly shot up from where she was laying on her bed.

"Oh thank Azar it was only a dream," she whispered.

Suddenly the sound of a fist beating upon her metal door reached her ears. Raven trying to calm her panicky breathing and resume her normal monotone before answering the knock with,

"What?"

'Dang it,' she mentally declared as she heard the waiver in her voice.

Beastboy's nervous tone could be heard from the other side of Raven's door.

"Raven, are you okay? Can I come in?"

"Yes," Raven replied, not specifying which question she was answering.

Suddenly she heard her door slide open and Beastboy appeared beside her bed, a worried expression on his face.

"Are you sure you're okay? I heard you scream 'I'm not evil' from my room."

Raven hung her head, her violet tresses streaming to obscure her face, "Was I that loud?"

Beastboy put his hands in front of him, palms out.

"No, no, it's just my sensitive hearing. I doubt anyone else even heard you."

The green changeling sat on the edge of her bed and lifted her chin to make her look at him,

"Now tell me, what happened?"

Had this been a year ago, Raven would have shot Beastboy through the wall and then transported him into another dimension for even thinking of touching her, much less sitting on her bed, forcing her to look at him, and commanding her, however gently, to tell him what was wrong. Fortunately for Beastboy, he and Raven had grown closer in the months since her fathers defeat. She had needed comfort and he had been more than willing to offer her whatever help he could. That's why, instead of seeing rage gathering in Raven's violet eyes, Beastboy saw tears. A few began to gather in his own eyes as well when she began to tell him about the dream. Of course, she tactfully left out the part about her confession. 'After all,' she thought, 'there's no sense in telling him that.'

After she finished her painful reiteration, Beastboy gently took her hand in his.

"Raven, don't worry. We do love you." 'I love you,' he thought to himself.

At his words, Raven broke down and cried, burying her head into Garfield's shoulder.

"Beastboy, just the thought of you telling me that you couldn't love me because I was evil was almost too much. Even before I head my father's voice it was as if an icy hand had gripped my heart."

Abruptly a thought came into Beastboy's mind. (How it found his mind is anyone's guess)

"Raven, if I told you that I loved you in more than a 'best friend' way, what would you say?"

Said empathy sat up quickly in shock.

"You can't love me. I'm a demon." She quickly gripped her arms tightly in front of her torso, hugging herself as if to keep from being vulnerable to him and the rest of the world. "I was only born to be a demon's portal into this world. My very existence proves how evil I can be."

Beastboy felt a need to prove to this lonely, mislead, beautiful young woman that he was being completely sincere. Before he could do anything, however; Raven continued her tirade of self-character assassination.

"Even if you did love me, we couldn't be together. Who knows what could happen if I got too emotional. My powers could destroy the world, or worse, hurt you."

Before Raven had a chance to say more, Beastboy gently put his hand over her mouth. She glared at him and he smiled in response. As he opened his mouth, what came out was like nothing Raven had ever heard before.

_No more talk of darkness_

_Forget these wide-eyed fears._

_I'm here, nothing can harm you._

_My words will warm and calm you._

_Let me be your freedom._

_Let daylight dry your tears._

_I'm here, with you, beside you_

_To guard you and to guide you._

Raven immediately realized that he was quoting her favorite musical, 'The Phantom of the Opera.' He had only seen it a few times, but he knew exactly why it was her favorite. It was also precisely what she needed to hear, so Raven decided to play along. (It didn't hurt that she meant every word, either.)

_Say you love me every waking moment._

_Turn my head with talk of summertime._

_Say you need me with you now and always._

_Promise me that all you say is true._

_That's all I ask of you._

Beastboy took up the song immediately with:

_Let me be your shelter._

_Let me be your light._

_You're safe, no one will find you._

_Your fears are far behind you._

Raven looked at Beastboy, realizing what was coming next, and also realizing that she didn't want to stop it. Tears began to flow once again as she began to bear her soul to the young man she loved.

_All I want is freedom,_

_A world with no more night._

_And you, always beside me_

_To hold me and to hide me._

Beastboy gently wiped Raven's tears, recognizing how much the words meant to her. He also began to grasp that he was willing to do all of the things he was telling her. What started as a way to cheer her up was becoming his pledge to love and help her until his last breath. And you know what? He was okay with it. In fact, he was looking forward to spending the rest of his life with her.

_Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime._

_Let me lead you from your solitude._

_Say you need me with you here beside you._

_Anywhere you go let me go too._

Raven,_ that's all I ask of you._

Raven, too, understood that he was pledging his love to her. She couldn't have been happier as she nervously took his hand and entwined their fingers.

_Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime._

_Say the word and I will follow you._

Beastboy gently squeezed her hand, put his free hand on her cheek, and joined her.

_Share each day with me_

_Each night, each morning._

Raven sang softly,

_Say you love me._

Beastboy leaned in and replied just as softly,

_You know I do._

They finished with:

_Love me, that's all I ask of you._

Beastboy leaned in to Raven and, their lips millimeters apart, whispered, "I love you, Raven."

Raven whispered back to him breathlessly, "I love you too, Beastboy," before slowly closing the small gap between their lips.

Their kiss was gentle, but passionate and meaningful. As they broke apart, the both grinned and finished the song, whispering this time instead of singing.

_Anywhere you go, let me go, too_

_Love me, that's all I ask of you_

They gently kissed again before Beastboy told Raven,

"I meant what I said about forever. Whenever you're ready, I am."

Raven simply gave him a warm smile and replied,

"I meant it, too, but I think we need to date for a while first."

"I agree." Beastboy thought for a moment before…"Wait, does this mean you're my girlfriend?"

Raven smiled, rolled her eyes, and shook her head before kissing him softly,

"Of course it does."

* * *

I hope you liked it. As I said, I need input on what I can improve and what you guys absolutely hate about my writing (hopefully not everything). The ending seems a little rushed, but I still think it fits. As for them being ooc, they are supposed to be alot older than they were in the series, so they are both more mature and more able to tolerate and understand one another.

Please review, I'm tired of putting alot of work into a story and only getting 2 or 3 reviews. I'd like to improve and the only way to do that is to get your imput, so please help me and push the pretty blue button.


End file.
